Misaligned or crooked teeth is a common issue faced by people of all ages. There is not always a need to think that you must get your teeth straightened if you are dealing with some misalignment. If your teeth are only slightly misaligned and aren’t leading to any dental issues, your dentist might not recommend that you have straightening treatment like braces. Teeth that are not aligned perfectly are a part of what makes you unique. However, if you have serious misalignment issues that are causing dental or speech issues, or your confidence, mood, or emotional wellbeing has been affected, then it might be worth considering getting braces or aligners to achieve straighter teeth. 

What Are the Causes of Teeth Misalignment?

Both milk teeth and adult teeth can develop misaligned or become crooked with issues over time. Milk teeth sometimes develop into a misaligned position if they are not large enough for the amount of gum space that the baby has. Along with this, some habits in children like thumb-sucking or pacifier use can push out the baby teeth or cause them to become crooked, along with genetics, which can also be a huge factor when it comes to how straight or crooked your teeth develop. It’s worth considering that just because milk teeth are crooked does not mean that the adult teeth will be the same, and vice versa. Teeth are also at a higher risk of developing crooked if the milk teeth are lost sooner than they should be due to trauma to the mouth or tooth decay; this can lead to the adult teeth growing slanted, rather than straight.

What Issues Can Cause Misaligned Teeth?

Sometimes, teeth can grow crooked for no apparent reason, especially when the main cause is genetic. However, there are certain issues that may heighten the likelihood of adult teeth growing in crooked, including:

Jaw Size: Eating a diet of softer and more proceed foods has actually caused human jaws to evolve smaller over timesince the food that we eat now does not need to be chewed as much compared to what our ancestors ate. As a result of this, our jaws are now smaller in size, which has led some experts to believe could be a major cause of teeth that are crooked and misaligned due to not having enough space in the jaw.  

Jaw Misalignment: Malocclusion or jaw misalignment can cause some teeth to be misaligned. Ideally, the front top teeth should fit slightly over the front bottom teeth, but when this doesn’t happen, an overbite or underbite will occur. These are both common misalignment issues that can lead to problems with dental health. An overbite causes the front top teeth top overlap the bottom front teeth, while the opposite is the case with an underbite.

Myofunctional Habits: Some repetitive behaviors that affect the muscles and functions of the mouth and face can lead to tooth misalignment. This can include issues such as mouth breathing or tongue thrusting. In children, this could commonly be problems like prolonged use of a pacifier or thumb sucking. 

Poor Dental Care: Over time, poor dental care including failure to have a checkup by a dentist at least one or twice per month could cause misaligned or crooked teeth that are the result of untreated issues such as gum disease or even cavities. 

Facial Injuries: An injury to the face can sometimes cause the teeth to be knocked, repositioning them in the mouth and in some cases leading to misalignment. 

Genetics: In some cases, it’s down to genetics whether your teeth develop straight or crooked. If one or both of your parents had misaligned, crooked, or crowded teeth, then there’s a higher risk of you developing the same issue. 

Poor Nutrition:Nutrition is important for keeping your teeth in good condition. But when children have poor nutrition, this can sometimes lead to poor development of the teeth and jaw, along with a higher risk of tooth decay in childhood which can increase the risk of misaligned adult teeth.  

Should Misaligned Teeth Be Straightened?

If your teeth are not straight, whether or not you should have treatment to have them aligned is a personal decision. Teeth that aren’t perfectly straight will not alwayslead to dental issues and, in some cases, it might simply be a unique thing about you. If you are only dealing with slight misalignment of your teeth that are not bothering you in any way, it might be that you are happy to keep them as they are. However, if misaligned teeth are leading to health problems, discomfort in your jaw, poor dental hygiene, dental health problems, or are even making you feel upset or conscious of your smile when out and affecting your emotional wellbeing, you may want to consider getting braces or aligners to straighten your teeth. 

What Are Your Options for Correcting Teeth Misalignment?

If you’ve decided on getting treatment for your misaligned teeth, there are many good options to choose from. Braces and aligners are a common option that can be used by both adults and teens with teeth and gums that are strong enough to handle them. Some common options to consider include:

Metal Braces

Fixed metal braces tend to be the most highly recommended option for teeth with serious misalignment issues. These braces are attached to the teeth using brackets, bands, and metal wire. If you had these braces as a teenager, you might be glad to hear that the modern options today use smaller brackets and less metal, which makes them more comfortable to wear. 

Clear Aligners

An option that is growing in popularity is clear aligners. You can even get night only clear aligners that straighten your teeth while sleeping so that you don’t have to wear them during the day. Find out more about night only clear aligners and other aligner types at ALIGNERCO to find the best option for you. ALIGNERCO offers clear aligner options that you can order and fit yourself for with an impression kit from the comfort of your own home, with flexible payment plans that make correcting misaligned teeth more convenient than ever before. 

Ceramic Braces

If you have serious misalignment issues with your teeth and have been recommended fixed braces as the best way to achieve the smile that you want, ceramic braces can be an ideal alternative to consider if you don’t want your braces to be obvious. These braces use brackets that are completely clear or tooth-coloured, making them much less obvious even though they are fixed in the same way as metal braces. However, bear in mind that there are downsides to this type of brace including that they are typically more prone to breaking compared to their metal counterparts. They are also usually more expensive and can be more prone to staining, so you’ll need to stay away from any dark, staining foods or drinks while you are wearing them. 

Tooth misalignment is a common problem that lots of people deal with. Depending on the severity, it might be an issue that you can forget about or something that you want to get fixed as quickly as possible. No matter the cause of your teeth being misaligned, there are now more treatment options available than ever before.